FLEXIBLE FITNESS: Aphasia after stroke

Tuesday

Jan 17, 2017 at 2:24 PMJan 18, 2017 at 1:47 PM

By Danielle Morgan / Daily News Correspondent

You probably know someone who has suffered a stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke in the U.S., and it is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. There are many types and degrees of disability following a stroke, including weakness or paralysis, problems with memory or thinking, and using or understanding language. If the ability to use or understand language is impaired after a stroke, this can impact the survivor’s ability to communicate. When this disorder is present, it is called aphasia.

The American Speech Language Hearing Association defines aphasia as” a communication disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language.” According to the National Aphasia Association, the most common cause of aphasia is a stroke and 20-40 percent of stroke survivors acquire aphasia.

A person with aphasia demonstrates changes in understanding information they hear or read. There are also changes in how the person expresses himself, including trouble finding words. These changes affect both the ability to speak and write. Lastly, there may also be changes in ability to calculate. It is important to note that although a person with aphasia may have difficulty retrieving words or expressing themselves, their intelligence remains intact.

There are additional potential symptoms affecting a stroke survivor’s speech such as dysarthria (typically slurred sounding speech) and apraxia (a breakdown in how the brain programs the mouth to speak), but these are distinct from aphasia. A speech therapist can evaluate the symptoms and treat these disorders accordingly.

While aphasia is often associated with a stroke, aphasic symptoms are also seen with other disorders including an infection in the brain, brain tumor or trauma to the head where parts of the left hemisphere may be affected.

Speech therapists are skilled in treating persons with aphasia and work with the stroke survivor to improve their ability to communicate and express themselves to family, friends and co-workers.

Communicating with a person who has aphasia can be challenging. Here are some helpful tips from the National Stroke Association on how to communicate with a person who has aphasia.

Make sure you have the person’s attention before you start to speak to the person.Minimize or eliminate background noise (TV, radio, other people).Keep your own voice at a normal level, unless the person has indicated otherwise.Keep communication simple, but adult. Simplify your own sentence structure and reduce your rate of speech. Emphasize key words. Don’t “talk down” to the person with aphasia.Give them time to speak. Resist the urge to finish sentences or offer words.Communicate with drawings, gestures, writing and facial expressions in addition to speech.Confirm that you are communicating successfully with “yes” and “no” questions.Praise all attempts to speak and downplay any errors. Avoid insisting that that each word be produced perfectly.Engage in normal activities whenever possible. Do not shield people with aphasia from family or ignore them in a group conversation. Rather, try to involve them in family decision-making as much as possible. Keep them informed of events but avoid burdening them with day to day details.Encourage independence and avoid being overprotective.

No two people with aphasia are alike. You may want to consult your physician to ask if you or a loved one who has aphasia would benefit from seeing a speech therapist. A speech therapist will be able to customize treatment for a person who has aphasia. The therapist can also talk to you about local support groups and Aphasia Centers. These centers specialize in providing services and social connections for people with aphasia.

For more information on Aphasia, try these websites: aphasia.org; stroke.org; asha.org; aphasia.org/stories/living-with-aphasia-uk-connect.

Danielle Morgan MS, CCC/SLP, LCST is a Speech and Language Pathologist at Spaulding Outpatient Center, Framingham. She specializes in the treatment of a variety of neurologic diagnoses including stroke, concussion/traumatic brain injury and post polio syndrome.